Financial analyst with three years in FP&A at a subscription software company and in deal advisory. Builds driver-based forecasts and three-statement models that leaders actually use to make decisions. Brought quarterly revenue forecasts to within 3% of actuals and helped move £1.4m of marketing spend to higher-return channels. CFA Level II candidate.
Experience
Financial Analyst, FP&A · Lumenfield Software, London
2024 – Present
Rebuilt the revenue forecast as a driver-based model using pipeline, churn and expansion; quarterly error fell from ±11% to ±3%.
Ran channel-level acquisition-cost and payback analysis that moved £1.4m of budget to the two channels with the shortest payback.
Halved the monthly reporting cycle, from eight working days to four, by replacing manual exports with SQL queries and Power BI.
Partnered with five budget holders on the annual plan, reconciling £62m of operating costs to headcount and supplier data.
Analyst, Transaction Services · Calder Marsh Advisory, London
2023 – 2024
Built three-statement models and quality-of-earnings schedules for nine mid-market deals worth £20m–£150m each.
Worked through EBITDA adjustments with management teams, identifying £2.3m of one-off costs in a single retail deal.
Drafted databook commentary reviewed directly by partners on tight deal timetables.
Education
BSc Economics · University of Warwick
2020 – 2023
First-class honours; dissertation on currency hedging by mid-sized UK exporters.
Self-initiated model comparing three price-tier options; the recommended tier lifted average contract value by 9% in its first two quarters.
Languages
English — Native
Mandarin Chinese — Professional working proficiency
Additional information
Sitting CFA Level II in 2026.
Three summary options
Start from the one closest to where you are now.
Graduate analyst
Economics graduate with a summer internship in corporate finance and strong Excel and SQL skills. Built a cash-flow model for a 40-site restaurant group that flagged a £300,000 funding gap three months before it hit. Looking for a graduate FP&A or financial analyst role.
Senior FP&A
Senior FP&A manager with eight years in retail and consumer goods. Leads a team of four, owns the £400m annual budget and monthly reforecasts, and introduced rolling forecasts that cut planning time in half. A trusted adviser to the CFO on pricing, store openings and cost programmes.
From audit
ACA-qualified auditor moving into FP&A after four years auditing technology and media clients. Brings a deep grasp of revenue recognition, controls and three-statement accounts, plus a subscription-revenue model that the audit team now uses as a standard tool.
Keywords to include
Use the ones that are true for you, inside real sentences.
Financial modelling
FP&A
Forecasting
Budgeting
Variance analysis
Excel
SQL
Power BI
Business partnering
Scenario analysis
What recruiters look for
Tips for this role, with the kind of numbers that count.
Tie every model to a decision
A model only impresses if someone acted on it. Write "analysis moved £1.4m of budget to the two best channels" instead of "built marketing dashboards", so the reader sees the business result, not just the spreadsheet.
Quote your forecast accuracy
Forecast error is the cleanest FP&A measure. Give the before and after, such as "from ±11% to ±3% of actual revenue", and say which line you forecast: revenue, headcount, cash or operating costs.
Be specific about Excel
Every applicant claims advanced Excel. Name what you actually build: three-statement models, data tables, scenario switches, INDEX/MATCH lookups. If you also use SQL, Power BI or Anaplan, list them; they set you apart from spreadsheet-only candidates.
State your CFA progress exactly
Write the precise stage: "CFA Level I passed; sitting Level II in 2026". Recruiters filter on it, and a clear date shows more commitment than "pursuing CFA". The same goes for ACCA or CIMA papers.
Show you can partner with budget holders
FP&A is half analysis, half conversation. Mention how many budget holders you support, the size of budget you reconcile or the monthly review you run, so it is clear you can challenge numbers without losing goodwill.
Translate deal or audit work
Coming from transaction services or audit? Describe the work in FP&A terms: modelling, EBITDA adjustments, cash conversion and commentary for senior readers. Leave out deal names and client lists; they are confidential and add little.
Make this CV yours
Answer one question at a time; the assistant fills each section and never invents numbers.
Can I mention the CFA programme before I have passed Level II?
Yes, as long as it is accurate. Write the levels you have passed and the date of your next exam. The CFA Institute has rules on how candidates may refer to the programme, so avoid anything that implies you hold the charter, such as "CFA" after your name.
What is the difference between a financial analyst CV and an FP&A CV?
"Financial analyst" covers many jobs, from investment research to credit. An FP&A CV should focus on budgets, forecasts, variance analysis and business partnering inside one company. If the advert says FP&A, use those exact words and lead with planning results rather than market or valuation work.
How do I show modelling skills without sharing confidential numbers?
Describe the model's structure and its impact, not the data: "driver-based revenue model using pipeline, churn and expansion; cut forecast error to ±3%". Percentages and rounded figures are usually safe. If an interviewer asks for proof, bring a clean sample model built on made-up figures.
